For the first time, supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons Companies have identified the exact locations of stores they plan to sell off if their proposed merger goes through — and eight of them are Haggen and Safeway stores in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
The new list is contained in a 10-page document jointly released by Kroger, Albertsons and C&S Wholesale Grocers, a New Hampshire-based wholesale grocery supply company that is the proposed buyer of the divested stores.
Earlier, Kroger had said it would spin off a total of 579 stores, including 124 in Washington state, from the two companies after acquiring Albertsons to help address federal and state antitrust concerns. Part of that April announcement was word that C&S would also acquire the Haggen name.
The locations in Whatcom and Skagit counties identified in the list to be sold to C&S include:
- Haggen, 2814 Meridian St., Bellingham
- Haggen, 1401 12th St., Bellingham
- Haggen, 210 36th St., Bellingham
- Haggen, 2900 Woburn St., Bellingham
- Safeway, 1275 E. Sunset Drive, Bellingham
- Haggen, 757 Haggen Drive, Burlington
- Haggen, 1815 Main St., Ferndale
- Safeway, 315 E. College Way, Mount Vernon
Haggen stores in Auburn, Marysville, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Snohomish and Woodinville are also on the divestiture list.
However, not all 15 Haggen stores, now owned by Albertsons Companies and posted as currently operating, are on the new list. Haggen grocery locations in Lake Stevens, Mount Vernon and Stanwood are not included.
Kroger’s April announcement stated that should the company decide to keep any individual stores under the names sold to C&S — such as Haggen — they would be “re-bannered” into one of the remaining Kroger or Albertsons Companies brands. The companies’ merger website said C&S has committed that “no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed.”
At the time of the October 2022 merger announcement, Kroger and Albertsons combined operated nearly 5,000 stores including those under the Albertsons, Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC and Haggen names.
Both Washington state and the Federal Trade Commission have sued to block the proposed merger. The grocery industry news site Grocery Dive reported that a hearing has been set before a federal judge in Oregon on Aug. 26 to consider an FTC request for a temporary restraining order that would halt the acquisition.
Haggen was founded in Bellingham in 1933, but filed for bankruptcy after a failed 2014 expansion bid and was purchased by Albertsons in 2016.
Frank Catalano writes about business and related topics for CDN; reach him at frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com.
